NEH Community Deep Mapping Institute

Our Host Community

Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula

The active heritage community in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula offers an ideal environment for seeing community deep mapping in action. This rocky peninsula on the southern shore of Lake Superior boasts some of the world’s highest quality copper ore. It has been worked by humans for over 7000 years and inspired the region’s nickname—“The Copper Country”—given at the height of industrial mining in the early twentieth century. Today, the region features heritage landscapes and buildings that tell stories of mining boom and bust, immigration, urban growth, industrial labor, as well as post-industrial patterns of recovery, reinvention, and re-interpretation. The interconnectedness of these place-based stories become clear through the rich deep mapping experience of the Keweenaw Time Traveler.

Two National Parks, Keweenaw National Historical Park and Isle Royale National Park, make this a dynamic region at the intersection of cultural and natural resource interpretation. Formed in 1992 on the pioneering “partnership park” model, Keweenaw National Historical Park has 23 official heritage site partners many of whom have helped create the Keweenaw Time Traveler and use it to develop exhibitions and public programming. Institute Fellows will meet and discuss the benefits and challenges of community deep mapping with the dedicated volunteers, retirees, students, and municipal officials who run these sites, as well as professionals in museum interpretation and heritage management.

Fellows will also have free time to enjoy the world-class outdoor recreation in and around the Keweenaw, including mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, cycling, and much more. The Copper Harbor Trails Club consistently gets ranked among the top ten mountain biking destinations in the country, and if you’ve always wanted to visit Isle Royale National Park (ranked the least crowded national park!), the boat leaves two miles from campus. While in residence, Fellows will stay in the historic Laurium Manor Inn, recently rated the nation’s third best historical bed & breakfast by Newsweek! Also, fellows would be encouraged to extend their stay to include some vacation time backpacking, camping, or exploring the Upper Great Lakes in general. Check out Visit Keweenaw for more ideas.